


Taken Care Of

by lilly_the_kid



Series: Before Blackwater [2]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Bittersweet, Cowboys, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Huddling For Warmth, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Sharing a Bed, Sleeping Together, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26621662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilly_the_kid/pseuds/lilly_the_kid
Summary: There were moments when he and Dutch were close.Just a little bit of fluffy hurt/comfort, because I needed that today.Takes place a few years before Blackwater. Can be read as a taking place some time after "I'll Be Fine", but you don't need to read that for this to makes sense.
Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Dutch van der Linde
Series: Before Blackwater [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2147766
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53
Collections: Hold Me: A Comfort Prompfest





	1. Chapter 1

He couldn't breathe. All he could do was cough and gasp for air. This was going on and on. There was nothing else but his desperate attempt to breathe. At last the coughing eased up a bit and he felt some air finding its way into his lungs. Then he felt the cold. God, it was freezing. And wet. Arthur frowned. Why was everything wet? He tried to focus, but the world began to turn dark.

"Arthur, come on. Stay awake!" 

Arthur blinked. He openend his eyes. Well, he tried to. It was so hard. He blinked again and tried to focus. Above him was the night sky. And Dutch. Arthur shook his head slightly, trying to make sense of what was happening. He felt Dutch's hands on his jacket, pulling. Trying to get him up. He tried to help, but couldn't really feel his body.

"Come on, Arthur. Please. You have to get up." Dutch sounded strange. Not like himself. Scared? Scared. Yep. Dutch sounded scared. The thought of Dutch scared was out of the ordinary and alarming. So much so, that it actually helped Arthur to focus more. He lifted his arms and reached for Dutch. 

"Oh, thank god," Dutch muttered. He grabbed Arthur's hands and managed to pull him to his feet. Then he draped Arthur's right arm over his shoulder, holding him upright. It was dark. At first Arthur thought he was losing consciousness again, but then he remembered that it was night. The last thing he remembered was robbing a homestead with Dutch. They'd come pretty far north for it which would explain the cold.

"What's going on?" Arthur felt like he'd barely made a sound, but Dutch must have heard him.

"You fell in the river." Dutch started walking and Arthur did his best to go along. Dutch was mostly carrying him, though. 

"I did?"

"Yeah, a cougar spooked your horse. You were a bit ahead of me. You must have hit your head or something, because you sank like a stone." Dutch paused and gripped Arthur tighter. Arthur also gripped Dutch's jacket and noticed that it was wet too. 

"You came after me?"

"Yeah." Dutch didn't say anything else. They slowly made their way up the river bank and Arthur saw the Count waiting. "Your horse ran off." 

"Shit." 

Dutch actually laughed at that. 

"Yeah, well, I doubt you could ride by yourself now anyway. Come on, let's get you up." 

They managed to both mount Dutch's horse. Arthur leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Dutch. It was hard staying awake. Now that he wasn't fucussing on not falling down anymore the exhaustion took hold. 

"Hold on," Dutch patted Arthur's hands. "We'll have to get warm somewhere. Only my bedroll won't do us much good. But I think there's a town near here. Strawberry or something."

Arthur opened his eyes and willed them to stay open. He really didn't want to fall off the horse. Falling into a river was embarrassing enough for one night. He let himself enjoy being pressed close to Dutch, though. A rare luxury. 

They rode on for a while. It didn't take long before the cold got to Arthur. He started shivering and grabbed Dutch even tigher. And he felt guilty. Dutch had been in the water too, he was surely freezing as well. Before he could finish that thought he suddenly felt really warm. It didn't last long, though. 

Arthur's mind still felt sluggish, but he understood that this wasn't good. He lifted is head and felt dizzy, so he quickly lowered it again, pressing his forehead to Dutch's shoulder. 

"Hold on. We're almost there." Dutch's voice penetrated his foggy mind and Arthur did his best to try and stay alert.

\------------

They stopped. Arthur felt Dutch getting off the horse. He felt dizzy again. He blinked. Then he felt Dutch grabbing him and dragging him down. Once again Dutch draped Arthur's arm over his shoulder.

They entered the hotel. Arthur barely noticed what was happening. Dutch was talking to someone. But Arthur just stared at the antlers. There were antlers everywhere. Why would anyone put so many antlers in one room. Arthur frowned. And why were there actual deers here? Was this real? Or was he already dead and hell was just the most confusing and irritating place he'd ever encountered?

"Hey!" Arthur startled. Dutch had almost yelled at him and was now looking at with worry. "Let's get you upstairs, Arthur. I think you might have a fever." 

"Is this real? Why are there deer here?" Arthur whispered. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to talk in hell. 

Dutch followed his gaze. Despite the worry on his face there was a brief smile when he saw the decorations.

"Don't worry about it, Arthur. It's fine. Come on now."

Things got more and more blurry after that. The stairs, the room, a bath? At some point all Arthur could feel was being incredibly cold one second and sweating like crazy the next. The one constant being Dutch's voice. Though Arthur couldn't really tell what he was saying anymore.

\-----------

Arthur woke up. He opened his eyes. It was bright. He closed his eyes and prepared himself. Then he opened them again. He was in a bed. A really comfortable bed. As someone who was used to waking up strange places, Arthur didn't panik, but just stayed still and waited.

Slowly the events from the past night came back. He remembered being cold, wet and confused. He remembered feeling dizzy, His head still hurt a little, but he mostly felt fine. Dutch had told him that he'd fallen into a river. And Dutch had saved him.

He looked around the room. Their clothes were draped over various pieces of furniture. Dutch was in bed next him, asleep on the covers facing away from him. He was wearing his spare clothes. Arthur realized that he himself was naked under the covers. Right, his horse had run away. Shit.

All in all, though, it could be worse, he thought. He carefully turned towards Dutch and moved closer. He draped an arm over him and pulled him close. Dutch stirred.

"What are you doing?" Dutch sounded tired, but he also sounded wary. Arthur stilled. He knew this was tricky. There were moments when he and Dutch were close. When they were intimate. Those moments were rare. And more importantly they were kept seperate from everything else. And they were never to be talked about. So Dutch's question was quite loaded.

"Just getting comfortable and going back to sleep." Arthur held his breath. There was a long moment of silence, but Dutch didn't move away or shove Arthur's arm off. 

"Alright then." Arthur slowly released the breath he'd been holding. Pushing his luck he moved a tiny bit closer and held on a tiny bit tighter. Then he closed his eyes.

\------------


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't been planning on it, but it's been very cold here lately I couldn't get the idea of writing a second chapter from Dutch's POV out of my head. And so I wrote it. I hope you'll enjoy.

No, no, no, no, no, Dutch thought. How did things get so wrong so quickly? He shoved that thought away and kept pulling Arthur out of the river. It wasn't easy. Arthur was heavy, now that he was soaking wet even more so.

At last they made it to the shore and Dutch put Arthur down. He bent down and held his hand in front of Arthur's mouth. Nothing. Shit! Dutch grabbed Arthur's belt and lifted Arthur up for a bit. He repeated that a few times. Come on, come on, he thought.

Finally Arthur opened his mouth and started coughing. That seemed to go on forever. Dutch turned him on his side and sighed with relief when the coughing finally stopped and Arthur was drawing in ragged breaths. The relief turned into panic when he saw Arthur's eyes closing again.

"Arthur, come on. Stay awake!" 

Dutch grabbed Arthur's jacket and tried to get him to sit up. Damn, he was so cold. Dutch was cold too. And wet. He'd had to get into the river to get Arthur out and now he was beginning to really feel the cold. They couldn't stay here in the snow. They needed to get somewhere warm. But he couldn't move Arthur like this.

"Come on, Arthur. Please. You have to get up." Dutch was felt more panicked by the second. What was he supposed to do? He wished Hosea was there. Hosea. Shit, what was he supposed to tell him? Sorry, I messed up and Arthur died because of it. 

Finally Arthur seemed to become more aware and lifted his arms. 

"Oh, thank god," Dutch muttered. He grabbed Arthur's hands and managed to pull him to his feet. Then he draped Arthur's right arm over his shoulder, holding him upright. He was still heavy, but he would manage. He just had to. 

"What's going on?" Arthur's voice was soft barely more than a whisper. But Dutch heard him. And it was the most beautiful sound he'd herad in a long time.

"You fell in the river." Dutch started walking and Arthur did his best to go along. Dutch was mostly carrying him, though. 

"I did?"

"Yeah, a cougar spooked your horse. You were a bit ahead of me. You must have hit your head or something, because you sank like a stone." Dutch paused and gripped Arthur tighter. He felt Arthur holding on to him.

"You came after me?" 

"Yeah." Dutch didn't say anything else. Arthur must have felt his wet clothes. Dutch felt oddly embarassed. They slowly made their way up the river bank where the Count was waiting. Dutch knew what Arthur was thinking.

"Your horse ran off," he said.

"Shit." 

Dutch actually had to laugh at that. It was good to hear Arthur talk, to know that he was alive. That he hadn't screwed up. At least not yet. They still needed to get some place safe.

"Yeah, well, I doubt you could ride by yourself now anyway. Come on, let's get you up." 

They managed to both mount Dutch's horse. Dutch felt Arthur wrapping his arms around him. He also felt Arthur sagging forward. He seemed to have used up all his strength by getting on the horse.

"Hold on," Dutch patted Arthur's hands. "We'll have to get warm somewhere. Only my bedroll won't do us much good. But I think there's a town near here. Strawberry or something."

Dutch allowed himself to enjoy having Athur so close. This was rare and normally Dutch wouldn't allow this. It was too dangerous, too risky. Now that he had a good and valid reason, he could secretly enjoy it, but he had to remember that this was an exception. There'd been a few times where he'd convinced himself that these kind of exceptions were ok and Arthur never seemed to mind. But nevertheless, he knew that he should be the responsible one and not encourage this-. Whatever it was they sometimes did.

They rode on for a while. It didn't take long before the cold got to Arthur. Dutch felt how Arthur started shivering and he was reminded again that he himself was horribly cold as well. He felt Arthur press his forhead to his shoulder. Maybe he was just moments away from passing out. Maybe was trying to get warmer.

"Hold on. We're almost there," Dutch said. He said it to Arthur but also to himself.

\------------

They stopped. Dutch dismounted. He was shivering by now. He reached up and pulled Arthur off the horse. Arthur was blinking and shaking his head slightly, probably trying to stay awake. Dutch draped Arthur's arm over his shoulder and started walking. 

They entered the hotel. The manager looked at them and under different circumstances his face would have been funny. 

"May I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like a room, please. And a hot bath for my friend here. We had a little accident."

"Certainly. The room is upstairs." The man handed Dutch a key. "The bath is right next door. I'll have someone warming it up right away."

"Thank you." Dutch turned to Arthur. "Come on, let's go."

Arthur didn't react. Shit, he's probably got a fever by now. Dutch shook him a little and tried again, louder this time.

"Hey!" Arthur flinched. Dutch squeezed Arthur's waist slightly, trying to get him to focus.

"Let's get you upstairs, Arthur. I think you might have a fever." 

"Is this real? Why are there deer here?" Arthur whispered. 

Dutch frowned, then he followed Arthur's gaze. Despite the worry he was feeling he couldn't help but smile. This was a strange hotel and it must seem even stranger for Arthur right now.

"Don't worry about it, Arthur. It's fine. Come on now."

It seemed as though the ride to town had used up all of Arthur'd remaining strength. Dutch had a hard time getting him upstairs. Then he quickly undressed him and put him in the hot bath. Arthur didn't seem fully conscious anymore. Dutch kept talking, hoping it would have a calming effect. Maybe it worked, he didn't know. 

He said that Arthur would be ok, that this was nothing serious. He said that Hosea was waiting for them. He said he couldn't go back to him without Arthur. He said there was nothing he could do without Arthur.

While Arthur was warming up, Dutch changed into dry clothes and draped Arthur's and his own wet ones over the furniture, hoping they would be dry by morning.

He managed to get Arthur into the bed and pulled the covers over him. He seemed better now, not shivering anymore. And it looked as though he was sleeping peacefully now instead of being passed out.

Dutch felt exhaustion taking over. He went to lie down beside Arthur and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

\-----------

Dutch felt the bed shift slightly. He opened his eyes and remembered where they were and what had happened. The next moment he felt Arthur draping an arm over him and pulling him closer. Very slowly and calmly, as if trying not to wake him. 

Part of Dutch wanted to pretend he was still asleep. That way he could just enjoy this. But he knew he shouldn't. This was dangerous, he kept reminding himself. Not just for the obvious reasons, but also because this wasn't supposed to happen in calm moments. This type of thing sometimes happened between them in the heat of the moment. After a successful robbery. Or a brush with death. Not when everything was calm. 

He liked those moments, but knew he shouldn't encourage them. There was no future in it. And he'd already made an exception just the night before. Nevermind that it had been necessary. This type of thinking was a slippery slope. He knew that Arthur was always disappointed when Dutch pretended that nothing had happened. Arthur seemed to have come to accept it, but it was obvious that he didn't like it. And probably didn't understand it. 

Dutch was at a loss what to do now. In a way it had been a brush with death. And in a way you can always spin things in a way to achieve the desired result, he thought bitterly. Before he knew what he doing he spoke.

"What are you doing?" Arthur stilled. Dutch could practically hear him thinking. Arthur was expecting him to push him away. And he should do that. He really should.

"Just getting comfortable and going back to sleep." There was a long moment of silence, but Dutch didn't move away or shove Arthur's arm off. He found that he couldn't bring himself to do any of those things. Surely it would be fine to just enjoy this moment. This precious moment where they were both alive. Arthur had been through a lot, he could give him this.

"Alright then." Dutch felt Arthur relaxing and moving a bit closer and holding on a bit tighter. 

Dutch closed his eyes.

\------------


End file.
